Baby Brothers
by kartoonfreek99
Summary: After the events in Changing Channels, Dean stops at a local bar. The one person he didn't expect (or want) pops up to talk to him. Oh Heaven help him. Hopefully it's better than it sounds! NO SLASH!


**A/N: Hello Supernatural fandom! I'm kartoonfreek99! This is my first time writing for the SPN fandom. So please excuse if any of the characters seem OOC! This one-shot is set after Changing Channels. I guess it's kind of an alternate ending in an AU. Just because of how Dean and Gabriel act in Hammer of the Gods. So please just remember, it's my first time writing for the SPN fandom! NO SLASH! Anyway, please enjoy! **

They had been on the road for a few hours. A few, excruciating, long hours. After dealing with the Trickster (Who was actually Gabriel the Archangel the entire time) Sam and Dean had had enough of hunting to last them a few days. So checking into a run-down motel with a smell that seemed to come from the radiators didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Sighing, Dean plopped himself down on the first bed he came in contact with when he walked into the small room. Immediately he regretted his decision, as the springs poked through the mattress and dug into his ribs.

"Da**it!" He rose from the bed slowly, making sure not to get stabbed by anymore springs.

"That's why you need to check before you go bounding onto a bed, Dean" Sam said as he sat down at the small table. Pulling out his laptop, he looked up at his older brother who was giving him a glare that would make a Wendigo go running. But having lived with said brother for a while, Sam learned to ignore it. "Don't give me that look, Dean!"

Shaking his head, Dean replied, "I'll give you whatever look that I want." He swiftly got up and went over to the other bed. He stuck out his tongue at his younger brother before settling down on the bed face first into the lumpy pillow.

A few moments passed before either of them spoke.

Stopping his typing, Sam looked up at Dean. "Hey, Dean." A grunt was met. "What do you think Cas thinks of his brother?"

"Which one?" came the muffled reply.

"The Trick- Uh, Gabriel." It was going to be a little hard to get used to that.

"What's there to think? He abandoned his family. I wouldn't blame Cas if he hated the guy." Sitting up, he continued his claim. "I mean, 'cmon Sammy. You saw the way he looked at him. He's clearly sore after the a** left."

"Yeah but, Dean. I don't think Cas would _hate_ him for leaving. Sure, he probably felt hurt, but don't you think Castiel would understand?" before Dean could have a say, Sam continued. "Their brothers were fighting Dean. Wouldn't you leave if you were sick of the bickering? I mean…. don't you think maybe there was another reason why Cas looked so pi****?"

That's what got on Dean's nerves. His brother's constant 'defend the a**es even though they didn't deserve defending'. Scoffing, Dean got up and proceeded to walk towards the door. "Whatever man. I think I need a beer."

Sighing, Sam nodded. "Alright."

...

Gulping down his shot, Dean gestured to the bartender. "Another." The bartender, looking slightly annoyed, poured Dean his fifth shot. Looking around, Dean swallowed down the liquor. Questions plaguing his mind. What if there was another reason to why Cas was mad? He hated thinking this but, maybe leaving wasn't a bad idea on Gabriel's part. Maybe something had hap-

"Why am I not surprised that I would find you here?" Dean jumped in his seat. He made a grab for his gun but was stopped by who it was. Gabriel lifted his hands in surrender. "Whoa there bucko! I come in peace!"

"Gabriel." Dean sighed. He really wasn't in the mode for this. He turned back to his drink, hoping that the archangel would leave. Though the little voice in the back of his head told him Gabriel was here for a reason. Whether that reason was good or not, he couldn't tell. He really didn't want to deal with Gabriel's sh** right now.

Said Archangel turned in his seat to face the many alcoholic beverages available. Stroking his chin, he looked back and forth at the many oh-so-delicious drinks. Ceasing his stroking, Gabriel settled his chin into his hand. "What do you think, Dean-o? Should I just go sober tonight?" He turned his amber eyes on the Winchester. His smirk reaching his eyes.

Groaning, Dean shook his head. "You can do whatever the he** you feel like. Just don't drag me _or my brother_ into it."

Gabriel put his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "Oh, I'm hurt. I come in here, just wanting a drink with my lease favorite pain in the a**." He gestured towards Dean. "And you just assume that I'm here to play a trick." Gabriel pursed his lips. His glare as mighty as the Heavens.

Dean glared right back. Using the glare he used reserved only for this Trickster. "Aren't you?"

The glaring contest went on for some time. Their eyes stating loud and clear; '_I dare you'_. Each glare got more intense as the seconds passed. Both knew that if one looked away than the other would win. Win what, they didn't know. Best guess would be who the better man was.

Sighing in defeat, Gabriel turned away to look at the bar they were sitting at. Dean on the other hand gave a slight smirk. He too faced the front and jugged down his shot. "Keep 'em comin'." Dean gestured to the bartender. Once his shot was refilled he gulped it down, savoring the bitter yet sweet taste. He turned his attention to his unwanted guest. "Well? Aren't you gonna do something totally ridiculous? Like, oh I don't know. Kill me over and over again?"

Gabriel snorted. "Oh you Winchesters. Can't even take a simple joke…. or lesson." what shocked Dean more about this was how Gabriel's mood seemed to go from jerk to… serious? The sigh of Gabriel brought him back from his thoughts. He watched as Gabriel poked at a bottle of Jack Daniels that was left from the previous guy who sat there. The thoughtful look on his face made Dean a little uneasy. He was more used to the cocky grin that would play around on the Trickster's face. He had already had the encounter of how Gabriel was without the tricks. And Dean honestly didn't want to encounter either of this being's personalities. "The truth is I came here to talk about Castiel." Okay, that was unexpected.

"Cas?"

Gabriel turned his head and gave Dean an annoyed look. "What is there an echo in here? Yes, Castiel. You know, the one in the trench coat that tails around you guys like a lost puppy? So if you wouldn't mind I would like to leave what happened in the past behind us for right now."

Dean returned this comment with a scowl. He really wanted to burn the jerk's wings right off…. but if Gabriel was here about Cas….. maybe he could make an exception. "Alright, what about Cas?" he jugged down another gulp. There was silence for a while. Dean was just about to (forcefully) ask what Gabriel wanted with Cas when the Trickster spoke up.

"Just so you know, I didn't mean to leave him."

Dean scoffed, "Yeah what a fine job you did. 'Not mean to' my a**." He played with the glass in his hand, pretending to be more interested in it than talking with Gabriel.

Gabriel snapped his head towards the older Winchester. "I didn't mean to leave him." he spat. "I heard you and Sasquatch talking about us and thought I'd set the record straight."

The hunter looked at Gabriel. "You were spying on us?!" He pursed his lips. "What the h*** gave you the right?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "I didn't spy on you. I was keeping _tabs_ on you. I have been ever since you left the warehouse." the fact that he said it so casually like it didn't matter is what ticked Dean off.

He pointed his finger at the archangel. "Listen here you di**. If you plan on- "

Gabriel waved his hand nonchalantly, "Oh don't flatter yourself. I'm doing it for Castiel."

Dean opened his mouth a few times wanting to say something. But nothing would come out, he was rendered speechless. Gabriel was doing something _not _for himself? "What?" he finally managed out.

Shaking his head slowly, Gabriel pulled out a Tootsie-Pop. Cherry flavored. How quant. "He doesn't know of course." he licked the cherry sweet before continuing. "If he knew he would hate me."

"Oh you mean more than he does now."

Gabriel stopped chewing on his candy. He looked Dean straight in the eye. Gabriel's own eyes reflected hurt and anger. Dean would never admit it, but it was sort of scary looking into an angel's eyes when you know you're no match for angel, especially when you don't have holy oil or an angel blade handy. Gabriel took out his treat, "He didn't always hate me." he looked down at his sweet and started twirling the stick. He twirled it a few times before snapping it out of existence.

Dean resumed looking at his empty glass. The Trickster not wanting a sweet was a new thing. And in all honesty it didn't settle well with Dean. He couldn't believe he was going to do this but…. "Bartender," the man, Jim he had once said, looked up from cleaning the glasses. "One for this guy right here." nodding, Jim went over and poured Gabriel a shot of the same drink.

Gabriel gave a low whistle, "Already buying me drinks? You better buy me dinner afterwards if you're looking for something." he gave Dean a smirk.

Huffing an irritated sigh, Dean retorted, "Hey pal, if you're going to go into a long and boring back story about your and Cas's childhood than I'm not going to be the only one who isn't sober." Gabriel gave a little nod before picking up his glass and gulping down his drink. "So, if you and Cas have been brothers since…. forever? Let me just ask. What was he like?"

That question made Gabriel laugh. "Oh I can't believe I'm agreeing to this." A few moments passed before he spoke again. His face reflected thoughtfulness. "He was the smallest angel in Heaven. The youngest too. Did you know that?" he glanced at Dean who shook his head. "He was so small…." He looked down at his hands. "I could literally fit him into my hands." Gabriel rubbed a hand over his face.

Then it hit Dean. What Gabriel was saying. It actually came as a shock. "Cas is your_ baby_ _brother_?" Now that he said this realization out loud it did make sense. Cas did seem a little younger and inexperienced when it came to his other brothers and sisters. He just always assumed he was the same age as Anna was.

Gabriel chuckled. "Yeah melon-head. Little Cas is the cub of the pack. Even his wings were small."

Trying to imagine a baby Cas almost seemed impossible to Dean. The guy was always so serious and stoic looking. Thinking of him as small and innocent was almost like imagining Sam eating a burger. "What did he look like?" he found himself asking.

Taking a swig of the offered liquor, Gabriel let out a sigh. Looking over at Dean he smirked, "I bet you remember how little Sam was? Small, pudgy, big eyes, biggest smile you've ever seen. And probably the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"

Dean let a smile grace his lips as he stared at his empty glass. Memories of Sam as a baby came flooding in through his vision. He nodded. "Yeah. I think I can relate." he looked back up at Gabriel.

"That's basically how Cas was. Except with wings, of course."

"What color are his wings?" Dean asked. He had been meaning to ask Cas himself but it never seemed to be the appropriate time with the Apocalypse over their heads.

Gabriel watched as Jim came back around and refilled his glass. He swished the drink around with a thoughtful look. "Black." he stated before swallowing down the amber liquid. "But you could see the sunlight bounce off his wings. It was probably the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. And they were soft. They felt softer than the clouds."

"Huh." Dean tried hard to think about what they would look like. It was actually harder to imagine, then one might think.

"That's why he was picked on as a fledgling." Gabriel mumbled.

The hunter looked up in surprise. "Cas was picked on?" It shouldn't have been a surprise; Dean had seen how most of his brothers treated him. It was a no brainer that he might have been looked down upon.

"Yeah. Raphael never liked the fact that Cassie was different. Darkest wings in Heaven. So, the d*** treated him like the scum underneath his shoes." Dean wasn't quite sure, but he could've sworn that Gabriel had growled. "Then again, none of the other angels liked talking to him either. Really I was the only one who showed any affection for the kid. Sure he had other kids around his age who would talk to him but he preferred me over anyone else. Especially when it came to the Archangels." he took a breath. "He was curious as a baby. Always questioning what everything was and why it was there. He paid more attention to the flowers than in learning. It's why Uriel didn't like talking to him or Raphael being around him. He** even Anna and Michael found him strange. But no matter what he did or why he did it, I always loved him." Slowing down he chanced a glance at Dean. "The bond between you and your brother, well it was like that between me and Cas for a while."

The relationship between him and Sam was very strong, Dean would admit. To think that Gabriel and Cas had once had that was hard. "What happened?" it was a stupid question, but Dean wanted Gabriel to say it.

Sighing heavily, Gabriel began to explain. "Before I left, Cas was…. I guess you could say he was a teenager to you guys. I was proud of him. I really was. He was always willing to put others problems before his. He loved humans….." he chuckled, "Man did he love humans. That's one reason why I had a hard time leaving him." he snapped his fingers and a bottle of beer appeared in his hands. He looked over at Dean and gestured at the bar beside him. Looking at where he was gesturing, Dean noticed a beer appearing out of thin air. Grabbing it, he nodded a thanks to the Archangel.

A few minutes passed of silence between the two before Gabriel spoke again. "When Michael and Lucifer started fighting I tried to ignore it. I spent most of my time trying to raise Castiel the right way. But as time went on Michael and Lucifer just bickered more and more. As I said before I couldn't bare it. So when Cas was older I left. Thought maybe he could take care of himself." He took another gulp of the cold beer. "But I was wrong. He turned cold and different. Thanks to Uriel. Di**. I still kept watching him. Especially when I met you guys. I started watching his movements and how he was doing. I saw how the other angels were treating him." Dean watched as Gabriel's hand gripped the beer bottle tighter. "You know what the last words I said to him were?" he kept his eyes on Dean as he said this. His eyes burned bright with guilt. "_You'll do fine on your own kid, you don't need me."_ he scoffed. "I mean, what kind of di** says that to his baby brother?!"

"I've had my far share of di**ish moves." Dean laughed.

Gabriel scoffed. "At least your brother didn't say he hated you and wish you were dead." the words came out like venom.

Dean nodded in agreement. "Well, maybe not. I'm guessing that's the last thing he said to you before seeing him again?"

The Archangel nodded. "I know he was saying it out of anger. But-"

"But you leaving was more than he could take. And what with everyone else treating him differently he couldn't bear the thought of his only _actual brother_ leaving." this was a fact and Dean knew it.

The Trickster smiled, "Guess you're not as dumb as everyone thinks."

"That's what they all say." Dean drank the last of the beer before setting the bottle down. "So what? You skipped out of Heaven and left Cas behind?" he looked over at Gabriel. "Why didn't you just take him with you?"

"I did think about it. I wanted to take him with me and start over again. Keep away from Heaven. Just us. Just like the way it used to be." he sighed. "But I knew he was needed there. Cas was needed more than I was so I left him. I left Heaven. I left him." he repeated. "My baby brother and I left him. My best friend and I left him." The last part he said in a quiet voice.

Minutes passed before either of them spoke.

The silence was too much for Dean. "So let me get this straight." Gabriel turned his full attention to the hunter. "You came here after tracking me and Sam, only to tell me that you didn't want to leave Cas behind? That you wanted to take him with you? But the reason you couldn't was because he had a da** job to do upstairs?" Everything they had been talking about came to him. "Even though you apparently loved him more than anything and wanted to raise him?" he shook his head in disbelief, "Why?"

Gabriel took a moment to respond. His answer was definitely not what Dean wanted to hear. "Wouldn't you?" Gabriel gave a sad smirk, "Wouldn't you leave your brother behind because you knew it was the right thing to do? Because you didn't want him hurt by your choices?"

The older Winchester didn't respond. He didn't want to respond. Would he? Would he want to leave Sammy because he thought it was right? Because he didn't want him hurt by _his _choices? He had already tried that goodness knows how many times. But whatever he did he always went back to his baby brother. All because he was Sammy's older brother and he had promised to keep him safe no matter what. Because he loved Sam. He smiled at his answer. "No. Because he's my baby brother and I'm his older brother." The corner of Gabriel's mouth twitched. "As his older brother I will _always_ be there for him. No matter what. Because I love him."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" he let out a tired sigh. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay and continue this 'heart-felt' talk. I gotta go." he looked Dean in the eye. "And if I hear you repeat this conversation to anyone I will hunt you down and make sure Cas can't raise you from perdition. Clear?"

"As crystal." Dean nodded. "And if I hear anything about this chick-flick moment in future hunts, I know how to summon you."

Gabriel took out another Tootsie-Pop. This time banana flavored. "See ya around." he smiled, placing the candy into his mouth. With a snap of his fingers he was gone.

...

Sam looked out the window again, agitated with his brother. He glanced down at his watch again for the fiftieth time that night. Dean had been gone for hours. And even though Sam knew he Dean had a record for being gone for hours on end he expected him to be back earlier.

He heard the door open and snapped his computer shut. Giving Dean the bit**face as he walked in. "Where have you been?!"

Dean looked up at his younger brother. Baby brother. _His baby brother that he loved more than anything._ Tears threatening to spill, he went over and hugged his brother. _His Sammy._

Surprised, Sam hugged back. "Uh, Dean? You okay?"

Dean released him after a few minutes and nodded. "Yeah, fine. Just….. you know…. needed that." he gave a sad smile.

"Okay…..?" confusion spread across Sam's face.

Waving the moment off, Dean went over to the springy bed. "Nothing man. Just drunk and tired."

"I thought you wanted the other bed?" Sam asked.

His brother looked at the other bed. The softer bed. "Nah, you take that one. I'll take this one. " Sam opened his mouth to protest but Dean raised his hand. "Nope. No take backs. You take that one, I'll take this one. Night Sammy. " He placed his head on the pillow and lay there with his eyes shut. Listening as Sam he moved around and got ready to go asleep.

When Sam turned off the lights he heard his brother. "Goodnight Dean."

Dean smiled. The words of his and Gabriel's conversation replayed in his head. Dean knew that his answer was the truth and nothing but. Dean would always be there for his baby brother, Sammy. He just hoped (and Heaven help him for saying this) that Gabriel would be there Cas. Heaven knows that he could use _his _older brother right about now.

**A/N: Wow... I honestly thought that could've came out better! ^^* Sorry! Constructive criticism is welcome! Please review! **


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